The hottest trend in commercial real estate, letting storefronts in Manhattan sit empty while waiting for top dollar, is robbing the city's streets of the benefits of a bustling economy.
As a growing number of vacant storefronts dot the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio [last week] said he wants to penalize landlords who leave the shopfronts sitting empty," report Rich Calder, Elizabeth Rosner, and Ruth Brown.
Mayor de Blasio made the comments during an interview on The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC.
The idea is still highly speculative, but from Mayor de Blasio's comments on the show, two salient details of his proposal emerged: that the tax would apply to storefronts and that the legislation could get "done through Albany," a reference to the State Legislature.
As for the problem the vacancy tax would tackle, "[a] number of recent studies have found retail corridors in prosperous Manhattan neighborhoods are struggling with double-digit vacancy rates, from 27 percent on Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side to 20 percent on a stretch of Broadway in Soho. Five percent or less is generally considered 'healthy.'"
FULL STORY: De Blasio eyes vacancy tax for greedy landlords seeking top-dollar
How to Repurpose Vacant Storefronts
Loosening restrictions on clean light manufacturing can revive dormant storefronts and revitalize communities.
Few Landlords Pay San Francisco Vacancy Tax
Less than 3 percent of properties potentially subject to a new vacancy tax were filed as vacant in the last year, but empty storefronts in the city persist.
Planning Department Study Documents Storefront Vacancy in NYC Neighborhoods
A new report from the New York Department of City Planning has found that storefront vacancy may not be a one-answer citywide problem. Vacancies were found to be concentrated in certain neighborhoods, and the reasons appear to be varied.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
LA Falling Behind on Housing Goals
Last year, the city permitted just 30 percent of the number of housing units needed to meet a growing need.
Connecting Communities to Nature Close to Home
Los Angeles County’s Nature in Your Neighborhood program brings free, family-friendly wellness and nature activities to local parks, making it easier for residents to enjoy and connect with the outdoors.
Palmdale’s Beloved Water Park Gets $2 Million Upgrade
To mark its 20th anniversary, DryTown Water Park has undergone major renovations, ensuring that families across the Antelope Valley continue to enjoy safe, affordable, and much-needed water-based recreation in the high desert.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Clovis
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions